


The Girl Next Door

by Burgie



Category: Starshine Legacy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 12:00:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8285102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: AU where Anne and Alex grew up together as neighbours.





	

Anne was not happy at all. She’d begged her mother, even tried to bargain with her, but it was no use. The family had to move to this… little suburban street. It was so below their social status that it felt wrong. She should be living in a mansion with hundreds of acres surrounding it, not in this one-storey, two-bedroom home. She didn’t even have an ensuite anymore, she had to use the main bathroom like a common peasant. Even her bedroom was significantly smaller than her old one had been.

Still… at least the yard was nice. And the place was so close to the stables that she could hear the horses inside neighing if the wind was right. She could also smell the less-pleasant aspects of horses, but at least she could smell them.

“Hey there, are you our new neighbour?” Anne looked around at the sound of the girl’s voice, and found a girl scrambling over the ivy-clad brick fence.

“Who are you?” Anne asked, alarmed to find the girl in her yard. The girl dusted off her light green pants and straightened her grey knitted cap.

“I’m Alex,” said the girl. “What’s your name?”

“Um… Anne,” said Anne, backing away a step. Alex saw the movement.

“Oh! Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” said Alex, grinning awkwardly. “I’m perfectly harmless… most of the time.” Anne wasn’t too sure about that. The girl was only about ten, her own age, and yet she looked like she could fight a bear and win.

“But I don’t know you,” said Anne.

“Then let’s change that,” said Alex. “There aren’t any other girls around here my age. Let’s be friends!”

“Um… okay,” said Anne, allowing a small smile to grow. Alex grinned and hugged her.

Weeks passed. Alex came over every day, and helped Anne get settled into her new school. Anne was not surprised at all to find that Alex got into fights all the time, mostly defending her friends. Once, she even got into a scrape after someone picked on Anne for her fancy clothes and posh accent. They ate lunch together every day, and walked to and from school together. They even met another girl at school, one named Linda. She joined them sometimes to do homework.

And then, one day, Anne heard raised voices next door. She crept out into the backyard and tried not to peek over the fence. Instead, she leaned against the wall and listened. Anne liked listening in on things. Suddenly, the back screen door swung open and banged shut, and Anne heard someone running. And crying.

Anne followed the footsteps, getting farther away from the yelling. She climbed over the back fence like Alex had shown her so long ago, and then she followed the running girl until she came upon an abandoned railyard. Anne lost her there, and had to follow the sound of a quiet voice and sobbing. At last, she found a train car where the voice was loudest. Anne tried not to listen, though it was in her nature to do so.

“It’s okay, James, he won’t find us here,” Alex was saying softly to someone.

“But what about mama?” a younger voice asked.

“Mama will be fine. She has our big brothers to look after her,” said Alex.

“Did you call the police?” the younger voice asked.

“I’m shaking so much, I probably wouldn’t be able to put the right numbers in. Or explain it,” said Alex.

“Alex,” said Anne, deciding that announcing her presence would be best in this situation. There was movement in the train car, and then the door opened and Alex looked out. She looked shaken, her whole body trembling. Her eyes were red, too, her face streaked with tears. The crying hadn’t just been coming from the young boy, then. Anne wrapped her arms around Alex, and the trembling girl gratefully clung to her for a while. Anne didn’t say anything, merely holding the girl while she cried.

Afterwards, when James had been put to bed in a closed-off section of the train car, Alex spoke softly to Anne.

“Thanks for coming after me,” said Alex. “I usually just have to wait until James is asleep. And normally there’s nobody to talk to because I can’t let him know how scared I am.”

“My parents called the police,” said Anne. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” She squeezed Alex’s hand, and Alex smiled.

“Thanks,” said Alex quietly. They sat in the train car for hours, until James woke up and Alex was sure that the house was calm again.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Anne asked as they stood outside the train car.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” said Alex, and hugged her again. “Thank you so much for… everything.”

“What are friends for?” said Anne, and smiled.

They didn’t speak of the incident afterwards, but they were closer. Much closer. They went to the train car sometimes, to talk. And to make it a place associated with nice things, like it should be. It was an ideal place for a kid to come to, it shouldn’t be used as a hideaway when a violent father came around. But according to Alex, it had always been her hideaway.

The train car became something more towards the end of one summer.

“I like you,” said Alex, holding Anne’s hand in the warm, summer afternoon.

“I like you too,” said Anne. Some of the girls at school had begun to talk about boys they liked, and Anne found that when they were talking about the ideal boyfriend, all she could think of was Alex. She was pretty but tough and she had muscles, and she was cute, and Anne felt happy but also super nervous around her.

“Sooo, we could be girlfriends, then,” said Alex. “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”

“Yes,” said Anne, grinning. “Should we kiss now?”

They shared their first kiss in the very place where Anne has once held Alex while she cried, on the old leather seat with stuffing showing through in patches.

And that was how the train car became their place. The place where they went to kiss and be together, away from the disapproval of Anne’s parents and the jeers of Alex’s brothers. The two girls got closer as the years passed and they grew into teenagers. When Alex first mentioned going further, Anne was hesitant and Alex dropped the matter. But they did start having sleep-overs in the train car during the warmer nights.

It was during one of these nights that Anne lay awake, looking at Alex’s sleeping body. Her friend was growing into quite the stunning woman. She had nice curves, but she regained the fit body that Anne had first noticed years ago. And, apparently, Alex felt Anne looking at her, because she opened her eyes.

“I’m ready,” Anne whispered. “If, um… if you still want to.” Alex nodded and pulled Anne into a kiss that had more fire and passion than any previous kiss. Anne didn’t even mind the mess of the train-car, or the dust and odd metal shavings that tangled in her hair. She couldn’t mind, with Alex’s hands and lips making her feel so good.

And, when Anne was looking down at Alex on their blanket afterwards, she knew that she’d never seen a more beautiful sight.

“I love you, Alex,” said Anne, still looking down at her.

“I love you too, Anne,” said Alex, and pulled Anne into another of those wonderful kisses.


End file.
